Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi

12 reviews

philosopher_kj's review

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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azalya01's review

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emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I thought this book was a very beautiful exploration of loneliness and discontent, and how human connection is a lot more precious than we may realize in our day-to-day lives. I found the slow and detailed narration of this story to be comforting and it endeared me quite a lot to the main character. I felt myself resonating with her feelings, and I appreciated the expression of her complex heartache framed in such relatable moments in time. I'm glad I read this book, and recommend it highly.
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preezilla's review

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funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What an unhinged, slice of life novel? This was my first Japanese novel, and I really enjoyed it.
I was on the edge of my seat for the last chunk since the firsy ultrasound when the dr showed her her baby?! I also love that there’s no solid answer on whether she was pregnant or lying to the reader or in the journal 🤷🏽‍♂️
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marlzipan's review against another edition

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funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Feminist protest can take all kinds of forms - Diary of a Void is an unusual yet highly effective take from Japanese author Emi Yagi. We follow Shibata-san, a fed-up, worn-out office worker as she (accidentally) attempts the ultimate workplace heist - faking a pregnancy. This is a darkly funny, poignantly relatable and thought-provoking book, tackling themes of loneliness, work-life balance and gender norms in modern Japan. It was so refreshing to see a woman’s voice like this in translation. 
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littlebrittofthis's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Diary Of A Void pulled me in with an interesting perspective on being a woman in Japanese society and it does not disappoint as we see how society still creates certain spaces for women. A slice of life book trapped in the slightly absurd. Emi Yagi creates a fascinating story of a woman who via faking a pregnancy gets out of doing the jobs in the office that have been handed to her, starting with the coffee cup cleaning in the meeting room. Interestingly these roles seem to be only given to women.

Like many contemporary books translated from Japanese, Emi Yagi’s Diary of a Void is also a quietly political novel. Diary of a Void addresses the systematic inequalities of Japan’s economy not just based on gender, but also on age, class, and race.

The characterization and thought process as the baby is ‘created’ is fascinating and intense, and incredibly well written as we see how the gaze shifts as she progresses through the pregnancy but also how she connects to people as she keeps up the lie. I expected so many things and they didn’t happen but I think that’s kinda why you stay gripped by this book until the very last page.
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nicolescottwv's review against another edition

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funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No

3.75

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abnormal_shadow's review

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funny lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

She keeps referring to it has her baby, she goes to the doctor and mommy aerobics class, she joins a group of expecting mothers. She is so deeply intraled in this lie she starts to believe it herself. She talks to the virgin Mary sometimes, talks about what I must have felt like for her and seeks comfort in this construct. She never had the baby, she uses a mom on Instagram baby as hers, Soroto when people want to see.
It is amazing and complicated and truly a good read or listen.
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rieviolet's review against another edition

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funny mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I appreciated the themes that the author tried to explore (mainly commonplace sexism, with a particular focus on the workplace, and stifling social expectations put on women to balance a job, child rearing, and home management) but I think that the actual execution on the page left me a bit underwhelmed. 

The premise is interesting but the story does not really go anywhere. I found the ending quite disappointing, especially because it was a bit abrupt and left too much unresolved after all of the previous build-up (which, to be honest, was a bit baffling at times and too surreal for me).

It is a quick read, the writing style is not bad and there are some poignant reflections and also some funny moments (the bits talking about the Virgin Mary were hilarious), but I did not really get drawn into the narration. 
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yasmin_raev's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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ra22ouille's review

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funny mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Love love love! I yearned, laughed, squirmed and  sighed through this book and am delighted by the breadth of emotion that it contained and evoked. The narrator is wildly interesting, weirdly relatable, and super unreliable (to the reader and everyone else in the book).
The humor occasionally felt disjointed and brought me out of the book. The character felt so intelligent, but some of her interactions lacked the social expertise and manipulation that she displayed throughout much of the book. I was disappointed in her speech at the end. A few of the other characters lacked consistency, and while they were complex people with a lot of depth it seemed like thay complexity was a bit of a one off sometimes, which is what felt inconsistent. 
Definitely would reread and recommend!
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